Every year my kids ask me what I would like for Father's Day. All of us dads usually say nothing, I have everything I need!
I stopped and thought a little and realized what I would really like for Father's Day would be one last conversation with my Dad.
It seems like just yesterday he was showing me how to golf. I always remember the first time I beat his score and as I think back I am sure he was happier and more proud than I was. He was one of those guys that did not ask for much and sacrificed many times so my brother and I could have more.
I know that he bought me my first set of clubs at the old Saunder's Sporting Goods on main street. I know for a fact that the set he got for me was nicer than any set he had ever owned. He also sacrificed a lot of his golden years caring for my mother who had Alzheimers in her last years - but he never complained. I only hope that I can be at least half of the man he was!
So for Father's Day, if I could have one thing it would be one more short conversation with my DAD. To tell him that I love him, that I learned so much more from him just by being around him. To tell him that I was going to miss him when he was gone and that I would think about him every day that I had left on this earth. To tell him how proud I was to be his son.
So if your dad is still living and you have the chance, then spend more time with him. If he does not live close to you have more phone conversations. It will make your dad feel just as good as you, maybe even more so!
Tip of the week - Too many golfers forget that in golf you always must focus on your target. From your tee shot to your short putt. Once you have picked your target find something that helps you pull the trigger on your swing and then hit away!
Rule of the Week - 14-4. If a player's club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player must count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all. The Rules of Golf can be found at (www.USGA.org).
Quote of the week - "Hogan always looked upon a course as any enemy to be conquered, the more abjectly the better, and this is one reason why he was a master at 'finishing the job' in a tournament. He never eased up on a course. If he had it down, he wanted to kill it. Arnold, on the other hand, can get casual when the battle seems won, a mistake that has cost him dearly on several occasions." From the book "Arnie" by Mark H McCormack.
Keep it in the fairway.
(Steve Kottsick is the golf professional at Souris Valley Golf Course. He writes a column for The Minot Daily News during the golfing season. Kottsick can be reached by e-mail at sports@minotdailynews.com)